Preemie's smile gives hope, goes viral

A photo of a preemie beaming five days after birth is touching the hearts of thousands.

Minnesotan Lauren Vinje recently posted the picture of her daughter Freya on social media, and within days it had been shared thousands of times.

Lauren's pregnancy journey was not an easy one. She says she started showing signs of preeclampsia and during a visit with her doctor on Nov. 25, 2014, she was told her baby's heart rate was dropping and she should prepare to give birth over a month early. Freya was born two days later by emergency C-section, weighing 4 pounds, 4 ounces.

Five days after Freya's birth, Lauren said to her daughter, "Should we send a picture to Daddy?" That's when Lauren snapped the picture of Freya beaming from ear to ear.

"All we knew knew was that this photo makes your head explode from giggles," said David Vinje, Freya's father.

Lauren says they decided to share the photo on the blog "Birth Without Fear" in hopes that it might comfort other parents of premature infants.

"We've been blown away by people's stories," she said in response to the hundreds of positive comments left for the family.

Today, Freya is a healthy toddler who will celebrate her birthday next month. Lauren says that to this day, her daughter loves being around cameras.